Commuting to UCSB
June 2, 2013 10:50 AM Subscribe
Is it possible to have a reasonable commute to UCSB from a place where we can have animals (at least large dogs and preferably chickens also)? Willing to consider wacky ideas/ non-traditional living arrangements.
Our current lifestyle consists of living on 3 acres (for $200K) with 2 cats, 2 large dogs, 25 ducks, 25 geese, 50 fish (tilapia in aquaponics), 3 homeschooled kids, a garage with an entire machine shop inside (2 milling machines, 3 lathes, 5 welders...) and parking for an RV, boat, motorcycle and several cars... obviously our lifestyle will need major adjustments. Things I've considered - caretaking on a ranch/organic farm where they might appreciate someone who can fix stuff. Commuting by train (this would be ideal since I could work on my laptop and wouldn't care how long trip was). Living in mobile home/apartment/boat/RV in SB during the week and traveling to a place a few hours away on the weekend where I can pursue my white-trash lifestyle (since kids are homeschooled the rest of the family could spend their time at either place as they please). I'm going to be in the area soon, so I can try out drives from suggestions.
Our current lifestyle consists of living on 3 acres (for $200K) with 2 cats, 2 large dogs, 25 ducks, 25 geese, 50 fish (tilapia in aquaponics), 3 homeschooled kids, a garage with an entire machine shop inside (2 milling machines, 3 lathes, 5 welders...) and parking for an RV, boat, motorcycle and several cars... obviously our lifestyle will need major adjustments. Things I've considered - caretaking on a ranch/organic farm where they might appreciate someone who can fix stuff. Commuting by train (this would be ideal since I could work on my laptop and wouldn't care how long trip was). Living in mobile home/apartment/boat/RV in SB during the week and traveling to a place a few hours away on the weekend where I can pursue my white-trash lifestyle (since kids are homeschooled the rest of the family could spend their time at either place as they please). I'm going to be in the area soon, so I can try out drives from suggestions.
The problem is going to be cost. There are tons of hobby farm / small working farm properties within commuting distance of UCSB but they don't go for $200k. Some things to be aware of when you are looking: Water- cheap land has no water rights and no proven well. Be verrrry careful looking at properties in the mountains, water wise. Weird building codes- SB has fires, mudslides and earthquakes. If you are looking at, say, land for a mobile home be aware that you may, for example, be required to have a second egress road that can accommodate fire trucks and costs $$$. Utilities- if you need fast home internet that will limit your choices a surprising amount. I know a ton of people who are on satellite or just don't have internetz at home. If you're further out you may also be partially responsible for things like road maintenance. Never get a place in the coastal range without knowing what the road looks like after it rains!
On the bright side there are tons of smallholders all up and down the coastal range and you're already part of that community. I'd tap into the home schooling and self sufficiency community and see if I could find a suitable arrangement that way. There are a lot of "ranches" in CA that are subdivided into small holdings and owned in common by the residents and sales and rentals are all word of mouth. And you are correct that there are many properties with absentee owners or owners who work full time and want an onsite caretaker. You'll be competing with people willing to live in pretty shabby conditions tho, be warned.
posted by fshgrl at 11:58 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
On the bright side there are tons of smallholders all up and down the coastal range and you're already part of that community. I'd tap into the home schooling and self sufficiency community and see if I could find a suitable arrangement that way. There are a lot of "ranches" in CA that are subdivided into small holdings and owned in common by the residents and sales and rentals are all word of mouth. And you are correct that there are many properties with absentee owners or owners who work full time and want an onsite caretaker. You'll be competing with people willing to live in pretty shabby conditions tho, be warned.
posted by fshgrl at 11:58 AM on June 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Carpenteria is a very nice agricultural town, and I think it is a very good place to bring up kids. Aside from the schools, of which I know nothing, but aren't a concern in this case. A number of folk commute into Santa Barbara from there.
I do not know about the price of land there.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:19 PM on June 2, 2013
I do not know about the price of land there.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:19 PM on June 2, 2013
Unfortunately commuting by train isn't practical for UCSB - there's only Amtrak (which is expensive and not designed for commuters), and the closest train station in Goleta isn't very convenient to UCSB - 30-40 minutes by bus or a 15 minute bike ride according to Google.
There is the VISTA bus though, a commuter service with a "Coastal Express" route to UCSB from Ventura and Carpinteria, and a "Coastal Express Limited" route from Ventura to Goleta. The Santa Barbara MTD also has service to Carpinteria. There's also the Clean Air Express, a commuter bus to UCSB from Solvang/Buellton, Lompoc, and Santa Maria.
I've known UCSB students and faculty with long commutes from Lompoc, Gaviota, the Santa Ynez mountains, Summerland, Ventura, and Ojai. The only person I knew who lived on a boat did that in Ventura.
posted by dreamyshade at 12:39 PM on June 2, 2013
There is the VISTA bus though, a commuter service with a "Coastal Express" route to UCSB from Ventura and Carpinteria, and a "Coastal Express Limited" route from Ventura to Goleta. The Santa Barbara MTD also has service to Carpinteria. There's also the Clean Air Express, a commuter bus to UCSB from Solvang/Buellton, Lompoc, and Santa Maria.
I've known UCSB students and faculty with long commutes from Lompoc, Gaviota, the Santa Ynez mountains, Summerland, Ventura, and Ojai. The only person I knew who lived on a boat did that in Ventura.
posted by dreamyshade at 12:39 PM on June 2, 2013
It sounds like you should look in places north of Santa Barbara, like Buellton, Los Alamos, Lompoc, Orcutt, and Santa Maria. Santa Maria's the farthest away, but still just over an hour drive. The place you linked to is not a few hours away, just one hour. Take a look at the UCSB TAP page for info about the buses and vanpools from those areas. It is not uncommon for people to commute daily from any of those towns.
posted by wsquared at 12:41 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by wsquared at 12:41 PM on June 2, 2013
If you're going to be in the area, I'd suggest going to Island Seed & Feed in Goleta and talking to Matt.
posted by bricoleur at 1:26 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by bricoleur at 1:26 PM on June 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yep, there are definitely people living that life in Ojai, but you'd be driving yourself to campus, not taking a train.
posted by redfoxtail at 3:43 PM on June 2, 2013
posted by redfoxtail at 3:43 PM on June 2, 2013
If you're going to UCSB, you don't want to live in Santa Barbara as an inexpensive part-time living situation, because Santa Barbara isn't inexpensive. The name UCSB is misleading, as the campus isn't within the incorporated city, but in the County of SB. Goleta, which finally became an incorporated city in 2002, is close to UCSB, and between the school and the City of SB.
There is plenty of rural land around there, but anything near UCSB will be expensive, as UCSB is about as close to the Pacific Ocean as you can get without falling in (some buildings in Isla Vista, the community around UCSB, have started to fall in). I'm not sure what $200k will get you, as Coastal California land comes at a premium. And by coastal, I mean anything with clear access to coastal breezes that keep the local climate temperate. Move inland, where the summers are hotter and the winters are colder, and the prices drop a good deal. Of course, your commute time increases.
But if you're looking to rent and drive back on the weekends, look to Goleta. Isla Vista is college town, and not in a good way. Perhaps it has changed since I've been there, but UCSB was known as a party school, so Isla Vista was a party town. High school kids would go out to drink on the weekends with college kids, that kind of party town. Loud and obnoxious. Goleta, on the other hand, is a nice little town. There are some noisy college-kid heavy areas, but there are also some nice neighborhoods with quiet families and quiet rental properties. My sister-in-law, while going to UCSB for her undergrad, moved out of IV and into Goleta and loved the transition. She was renting a house with friends, but the neighborhood was quiet, and a good mix of families and polite college kids.
My most recent experience is in the San Luis Obispo County, but it's a similar climate, and similar pricing (though scaled down from SB County). I believe you could find a caretaker position on a farm, as there are plenty of old ranches greater Santa Barbara County. I know a family who grew up doing just that in SLO County, being caretakers of a giant ranch. Plenty of rich folks who like to own land, but don't have the time, interest, or skills in keeping it up. Finding an in might be tricky, but ask around, and you could find a good match.
If you're looking all the way up to Orcutt, you could also look to Lompoc. It's south, and depending on which side of the town you live, you could be as little as a 35 minute drive away from UCSB. There is some great ranch(ette) land out there, and Lompoc, while small, is a viable community. I find Lompoc charming, while Santa Maria is just sprawling.
dreamyshade outlined your public transit options. I believe you can bike from Santa Barbara to UCSB, as I know a college prof who did, if he doesn't any more. It's only a few miles, and there is/was a good bike trial from the south of UCSB. I'm not sure what it would be like to bike from elsewhere, but I imagine you wouldn't always have a great separated bike path, and could spend some of your time on busy road (shoulders, if they exist).
posted by filthy light thief at 8:39 PM on June 2, 2013
There is plenty of rural land around there, but anything near UCSB will be expensive, as UCSB is about as close to the Pacific Ocean as you can get without falling in (some buildings in Isla Vista, the community around UCSB, have started to fall in). I'm not sure what $200k will get you, as Coastal California land comes at a premium. And by coastal, I mean anything with clear access to coastal breezes that keep the local climate temperate. Move inland, where the summers are hotter and the winters are colder, and the prices drop a good deal. Of course, your commute time increases.
But if you're looking to rent and drive back on the weekends, look to Goleta. Isla Vista is college town, and not in a good way. Perhaps it has changed since I've been there, but UCSB was known as a party school, so Isla Vista was a party town. High school kids would go out to drink on the weekends with college kids, that kind of party town. Loud and obnoxious. Goleta, on the other hand, is a nice little town. There are some noisy college-kid heavy areas, but there are also some nice neighborhoods with quiet families and quiet rental properties. My sister-in-law, while going to UCSB for her undergrad, moved out of IV and into Goleta and loved the transition. She was renting a house with friends, but the neighborhood was quiet, and a good mix of families and polite college kids.
My most recent experience is in the San Luis Obispo County, but it's a similar climate, and similar pricing (though scaled down from SB County). I believe you could find a caretaker position on a farm, as there are plenty of old ranches greater Santa Barbara County. I know a family who grew up doing just that in SLO County, being caretakers of a giant ranch. Plenty of rich folks who like to own land, but don't have the time, interest, or skills in keeping it up. Finding an in might be tricky, but ask around, and you could find a good match.
If you're looking all the way up to Orcutt, you could also look to Lompoc. It's south, and depending on which side of the town you live, you could be as little as a 35 minute drive away from UCSB. There is some great ranch(ette) land out there, and Lompoc, while small, is a viable community. I find Lompoc charming, while Santa Maria is just sprawling.
dreamyshade outlined your public transit options. I believe you can bike from Santa Barbara to UCSB, as I know a college prof who did, if he doesn't any more. It's only a few miles, and there is/was a good bike trial from the south of UCSB. I'm not sure what it would be like to bike from elsewhere, but I imagine you wouldn't always have a great separated bike path, and could spend some of your time on busy road (shoulders, if they exist).
posted by filthy light thief at 8:39 PM on June 2, 2013
Important question - is this for undergrad or graduate school?
FWIW, when I was at UCSB (as a grad student), I found the campus not very undergrad commuter friendly -- I perhaps had 2-3 students EVER that were commuting and it was certainly not accommodating to them.
For grad work - *some* people commuted from Ventura (often because significant other worked in L.A.), but it was tough on them too. In the early years of grad school, you're really expected to be on campus all the time.
But otherwise, FLT answered what I was going to say. Lompoc is what you're looking for. But be warned that it is just incredibly expensive in the entire area, although north of Goleta will be better.
Train isn't going to work for that commuting though.
I have a few friends that were/are grad students while on some sort of caretaking situation. These aren't easy to find though. Those people had some existing SB connections.
posted by k8t at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2013
FWIW, when I was at UCSB (as a grad student), I found the campus not very undergrad commuter friendly -- I perhaps had 2-3 students EVER that were commuting and it was certainly not accommodating to them.
For grad work - *some* people commuted from Ventura (often because significant other worked in L.A.), but it was tough on them too. In the early years of grad school, you're really expected to be on campus all the time.
But otherwise, FLT answered what I was going to say. Lompoc is what you're looking for. But be warned that it is just incredibly expensive in the entire area, although north of Goleta will be better.
Train isn't going to work for that commuting though.
I have a few friends that were/are grad students while on some sort of caretaking situation. These aren't easy to find though. Those people had some existing SB connections.
posted by k8t at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2013
Response by poster: Important question - is this for undergrad or graduate school?
Job at UCSB (not a tenure track position).
posted by 445supermag at 9:55 PM on June 2, 2013
Job at UCSB (not a tenure track position).
posted by 445supermag at 9:55 PM on June 2, 2013
fshgrl and wquared pretty much nailed it. Looking north of SB may be your best bet, and Hwy 150 northwest of SB, Santa Ynez has some small ranchlets/farm properties.
filthy light thief and wquared mention Lompoc, that's going to be less expensive, but the commute is getting a little long. White trash lifestyle, check. :) It's not really, but relative to SB, yeah. If you are looking for a weekend retreat, it's certainly feasible.
There is also the Casitas Pass, Hwy 150 southeast to Ojai from Carpinteria. There are some ag operations in there, but finding a place to live might be difficult. And it may be a tad more of a commute than you'd like (though my father in law commuted to SB from Ojai through there for years). Ojai proper is nice, and you can kinda live like a farmer, but it's going to be on less than 3 acres unless you have gobs of money. No public transit on 150.
Anything though...is gonna be pricey, the closer you get to SB.
posted by Xoebe at 1:55 PM on June 3, 2013
filthy light thief and wquared mention Lompoc, that's going to be less expensive, but the commute is getting a little long. White trash lifestyle, check. :) It's not really, but relative to SB, yeah. If you are looking for a weekend retreat, it's certainly feasible.
There is also the Casitas Pass, Hwy 150 southeast to Ojai from Carpinteria. There are some ag operations in there, but finding a place to live might be difficult. And it may be a tad more of a commute than you'd like (though my father in law commuted to SB from Ojai through there for years). Ojai proper is nice, and you can kinda live like a farmer, but it's going to be on less than 3 acres unless you have gobs of money. No public transit on 150.
Anything though...is gonna be pricey, the closer you get to SB.
posted by Xoebe at 1:55 PM on June 3, 2013
Isla Vista is definitely still a party neighborhood; it's lively and fascinating, but the quality of life there isn't so good (especially the noise Thursday-Sunday). But if you're looking for a place next to campus to live in an RV on weeknights, there are a number of people who live in RVs in Isla Vista, particularly on Estero Road and Fortuna Road. It doesn't look like much fun, and you'd probably want to check up on Santa Barbara County's parking ordinances first, but it happens.
posted by dreamyshade at 2:44 PM on June 3, 2013
posted by dreamyshade at 2:44 PM on June 3, 2013
Yeah, in my experience, a lot of employees live in Lompoc and Orcutt and take the Valley Express. It is very normal.
posted by k8t at 10:57 AM on June 4, 2013
posted by k8t at 10:57 AM on June 4, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by quince at 11:06 AM on June 2, 2013